Previously, rectangular frames for hanging of shower curtains around bathtubs have been provided which completely surround a person taking a shower in the bathtub, as shown in Ortyl U.S. Pat. No. 2,308,452 issued Jan. 12, 1943. Also, the rods comprising such similar frames for around bathtubs have been telescopically adjustable as shown in Suggs U.S. Pat. No. 2,736,904 issued Mar. 6, 1956 and Thomas U.S. Pat. No. 1,203,157 issued Oct. 31, 1916. Furthermore, such shower curtain frames have been used for supporting showerheads connected by flexible hoses to the water outlet spigots for the bathtubs as shown in McMillan U.S. Pat. No. 2,504,561 issued Apr. 18, 1950. It is also known that resilient means may be employed for urging apart the ends of telescopic curtain rod tubes as shown in Brayton U.S. Pat. No. 860,348 issued July 16, 1907.
However, previously the connections for the corners of such rectangular curtain rod frames required special three or more orthogonal socket members for the connection of supporting posts for such frames so that both the posts and the rods of the frame had to be cut to length and fitted or threaded for each different installation. Thus there was no universal system of curtain frame rods and/or supporting posts available for the do-it-yourself installer. Nor was there any such frame in which the position of the telescopic extension ends of rods were locked by an orthogonal rod so that no special three or more orthogonal socket members were required at the corners of the frame assembly.
Still further, it never before appeared to be important to protect the tiled walls above a bathtub having a shower. Since these walls are usually made of separate ceramic tiles, the caulking between such tiles and between them and the top of the bathtub often needs to be replaced to prevent leakage of water into the walls and spaces below them. This caulking is often expensive, and usually must be repeated many times during the life of the house in which the bathtub and shower are used. Also, if windows are above the bathtub, its frame, sill and joints are often damaged by water from the shower over the bathtub.